Friendly Fire
by Elillierose
Summary: During a training session in the citadel, Noctis allows his temper to get the better of him and ends up making a devastating mistake. But, through his mishap, he learns his true feelings for someone he'd always considered nothing more than a friend. 7th fic of my 10 fic giveaway.


**Beta read by: SinikkavonWolperting and istoleyourcheesecake**

 **Seventh of the ten fics for my 500 follower giveaway on Tumblr. I do these every 100 followers and am currently hosting the next if any are interested. Tumblr name is same as my name on here. C:**

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"You almost got me that time," the blond gunner chuckled as he leapt to the side, narrowly avoiding another strike from the prince. It was clear from the raven's features just how much his patience was running thin. Each evasion Prompto made was another irritated wrinkle in the royal's forehead.

He gripped his sword tighter and let out a low and annoyed huff of air. Behind him, he could feel the eyes of his shield on his back, watching and judging his every move. For once, he wished the guy would just lay off.

"Come on Noct, you can't just attack recklessly like that!" he called out. "And Prompto, less taunting and talking and more focusing on what you're doing," he added when the young man laughed in amusement. Both of them fought to roll their eyes with the minor chastising.

This time, Noctis was determined to get the upper hand. He had been training his whole life, after all, he had this. Prompto, on the other hand, was new to all this. He had barely been training with them for a few months. He shouldn't have been having as hard of a time as he was… He growled under his breath and shook his head. He was thinking about this too much. In the heat of battle, there was no time for thinking, Gladio had been sure to drill that into his head more than once. He could still hear the man's grating voice reminding him of that.

Without hesitation, he charged forward again, and again, the attack fell short as the blond easily stepped to the side. His movements were just too fast. Then again, he had been working with Cor for a while now. And, being a ranged fighter, there was no doubt he was being taught to dodge as much as possible and to stay out of the way. At this rate, he was going to be made a fool of. Just the thought of it was enough to cause his mind to buzz and heart race. He really wasn't in the mood for another of the brute's lectures; he was growing sick of those. And then there was Ignis...no doubt he'd have his own two cents to put in.

"Come on, quit running around so much and just fight already!" he seethed, teeth practically grinding painfully together. He rotated the hilt in his hands to get a better grip. He was really starting to get annoyed now. They had been at it for nearly half an hour, and he had yet to get a single hit in. He knew this was practice, but it this point it was like he was being made a mockery of.

"What's the matter Noct?" the blond teased, hopping from one foot to the other, preparing himself to leap out of the way any second. Though light-hearted and seemingly absentminded, the gunner's eyes never once strayed from the prince, he never let the other flee from his sight. How the hell was he supposed to get the upper hand when Prompto was constantly on the defensive? He wasn't even trying to attack himself. He was treating this like a big game and it was honestly pissing Noctis off.

"You just got to be a little bit faster. Come on, I think you almost have it."

Noctis didn't know what did it, but something snapped, he could feel it as all rational thought tossed itself from his head. And, for the first time since they started sparring, he let his instincts take over, there was no more thought put into anything. In a split second, the weight of his blade vanished from his hands, and he right after it. All he had time to hear was a faint and startled gasp of surprise before he was chased away and drowned out by a cry of pain.

It took a moment to register what happened, the raven's breaths came out in quick and angry pants until realization washed that rage away in an instant. He just warped… His eyes widened and darted towards his blade. Instantly, he tossed the weapon to the ground, the clattering of it broke the momentary silence as red liquid splattered to the floor from the force of the collision.

"Noct, what the hell do you think you're doing!?" the voice of his shield cut through like butter, and the smaller man was at a loss for words.

"I-I don't," he swallowed thickly, nausea churned in the pit of his stomach as he finally made himself look towards the blond. "Prom…" he gasped, taking a shaky step towards his friend whom now lied, unmoving, in an expanding puddle of his own blood. "I-I wasn't thinking...I-It just...it just happened." he stammered, voice trembling and hands shaking in front of him.

It was as if Gladio wasn't listening though. Both of his hands were pressed over the gash marring the blond's chest. The wound easily stretched from one side to the other. Noctis wanted to throw up just looking at it. He did that, he actually did that; he hurt his best friend. And, for what, because he was frustrated.

The brute's words once again snatched the raven from his reverie. "Are you just going to stand there and stare? Go get help already. My hands are full here!" The larger man barked out the order as he pressed his palms harder against the flowing laceration. Warm substance continued to seep between his fingers. "Dammit," he muttered to himself when the blond let out a pained and low gasp with the fresh agony the action bought on. "I know, and I'm sorry, but I have to slow the bleeding somehow," he apologized in a hushed whisper. He quickly glanced up to make sure Noctis was doing what was asked.

"Don't worry, help is coming," Gladio promised, keeping a close eye on the gunner's face. "Just, stay awake alright. It's not as bad as it looks," he lied, forcing a small smile to form on his lips. He instantly felt guilty once the words were out, but the last thing he needed was the kid panicking. Subtly, there was a slight movement of Prompto's head, indicating a nod of understanding.

One of his shaking and weak hands reached to feel the wound, but a soft warning against that had him dropping it back at his side. A minor spasm ran through him as a wave of burning torture gripped at his chest.

"Any minute now," Gladio assured. He gently lifted one hand to check, but it was no good. The moment he lessened his grasp, more crimson bubbled up and spilled over. "Noct!" he yelled out, hoping the younger man was still in earshot. What the hell was taking him so long?

Not a moment later, a few pairs of footsteps rushed over, but Gladio dared not lift his gaze from the blond, and even more so refused to let even a little bit of pressure off. Whatever they had to do, they could work around him.

Noctis stood back as the other two continued forward. He couldn't bring himself to see Prompto like that again, not when it was his doing. He glanced back over to his blade, still resting on the ground, a few drops of blood had dripped from it and soaked into the dirt. He had to fight desperately against the urge to gag at the sight of it. But, against his mind's pleas, his eyes darted to the side. As far back as he stood, there was no missing the amount of blood that was now staining the area around his comrade. Now that he was watching, he couldn't tear his eyes away. He could only watch in horror and disgust - disgust at himself - as one of the men lifted the gunner's head up just high enough while Ignis carefully pressed the rim of a vial against his lips.

"Prompto?" the adviser called out quietly. Thankfully, blue orbs cracked open to gaze blearily at him. "I need you to drink this, alright. It'll help. I know it hurts, but trust me." He titled the container a bit and allowed a small amount to pour in. Instinctively, the blond swallowed the small amount, instantly choking on it.

"Come on," Gladio breathed out, "just a little bit." A little was all he needed. Luckily, the wound wasn't too deep, but it was enough for concern. If he could down at least a portion of the potion, it would heal it enough to stop the bleeding. "Small sips if you have to," he encouraged. The blond subtly nodded as he let out a shuddering and whimpering breath.

Slowly, the blond struggled to get down even the smallest amount. But, with a bit of trouble, he managed to get about half of it down before he shook his head and pulled away. The others would have pressed for him to try some more, but with the way what little color was left was draining from his features, they thought it best to leave it as is. Besides, as Gladio peeked under his hands away, enough of the flow had ebbed away, enough for it to be safe to pull his hands away.

"We should get him to the medical bay," Ignis suggested, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose as he rose to his feet.

"Yeah," the shield agreed as he carefully eased his arms behind the gunner's shoulders and under his knees. There was a low grunt and a soft and quiet hiss. The larger man uttered his own apologies as he protectively pulled the blond in close. As the two of them slowly made their way across the training area, Noctis remained where he was, still in shock about what he had just witnessed. Fists balled at his sides, the royal's gaze was back on his weapon.

"So," the adviser breathed out as he stepped to stand next to the raven, "what happened?" It wasn't harsh but the accusations were dripping from his words. The lack of amusement was plain in the sharpness of the question.

Again, Noctis didn't know how to answer. There was no right answer. He was in the wrong and he damn well knew it. There was nothing he could say that would have excused any of this. "I dunno," he shrugged, voice tight as he tried to hide his emotions. But, it was an utter failure. Anyone who could see him could tell how much this was eating at him. He cut his eyes to finally look at the brunet, and his shoulders instantly sagged with the furrowing of the older man's brows.

"I...I was annoyed, alright!?" he snapped. "I couldn't get a hit in, I was humiliated, and I didn't want to hear you two lecturing me again about messing up. Well, you happy now? I screwed up, so go ahead, lay into me. I don't even care anymore!"

He gave the man a few moments, waiting for the speech he knew was coming. But, instead, all he got was a heavy and saddened sigh. "We can talk about this later...when _everyone_ has had a chance to calm down," he replied. Though his words were soft and understanding, anyone that knew the man could detect the underlying tones of annoyance and anger. He really was pissed, he was just doing a phenomenal job of covering it up with that calm way of talking. "For now, I think your presence is best next to Prompto. Out of everyone, he's the one that you owe an apology and an explanation to...not me."

Without another word, and without allowing the raven the chance to counter, the adviser was strolling away, the stiffness of his steps warning Noctis to leave it at that. Instead of chasing the other down, like his body craved to do, he forced himself to walk over to his sword instead. Jaw tight, Noctis crouched and snatched the weapon up. Just holding it was enough to put his mind back in that state of rage. But this time it was directed at himself. Before he could look at the bloodied blade again, the young prince flicked it back into the aether, where he was sure it would remain for quite some time. He wasn't sure if he'd ever touch it again, not when it was as soiled as it was.

Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, not that it did any good, he turned his head in the direction Gladio had gone. Ignis was right, after all, he should be there with Prompto. Despite the fact he hated to see him like that and despised to see what he had done, he needed to be there. Body rigid, and heart fluttering, the raven began to head over, each step like a stab straight into his soul.

What was he even supposed to say to the blond, that he was sorry? That was stupid, of course he was, but that wasn't enough. He couldn't just explain why he did it. It was spur of the moment, and it, too, was stupid. It was childish. It was nothing less than a tantrum. His hands were balled at his sides again, shaking, needing to punch something. That was just like him though, resorting to anger like he always did when he messed up. Maybe they were right, he let his emotions get the better of him and control his rationality.

Noctis stopped dead in his tracks and dropped his head. He couldn't go in there like this; he couldn't face Prompto when he was still as furious as he was. He needed some air, he needed to go for a walk, just needed to get out and clear his head. The prince strolled on, his pace slow as he took deep and gradual breaths. It was still a ways to the medical quarters...plenty of time to stifle that temper of his. And, in the meantime, it was enough time to figure out what to say.

His head was kept low, and he refused to raise it to look at anyone he passed by. He was sure the word had spread by now; these things tended to get around rather fast, much to his dismay. Luckily, not a word was spoken to him.

By the time he reached the door, he was in the same place he was from the beginning, confused and no closer to being relaxed. If anything he was more on edge and his pulse was racing even faster than it had been. He was light-headed, he was nauseous again, and his heart was pounding a million times a second.

Swallowing down the lump in his throat, he fought against everything his mind was yelling at him and tapped his knuckle against the surface. A gruff 'Come in,' beckoned him to enter.

Steeling himself, the raven slowly and gently pushed the door open, the creak of it caused him to wince and slightly draw back. But, he didn't turn away, he needed to do this. Once all was revealed, and both Gladio and Prompto, as well as a few staff, were in sight, he froze on the spot. The brute glanced his way, but nothing was said, not a greeting, nothing. Next to him, Prompto just lied there, his eyes were open, but they were overflowing with exhaustion and dreariness. Likely from the bloodloss, but even with medicine, he was sure there was still some residual discomfort that wasn't helping matters any.

Huffing out, Noctis finally stepped in, it was a slow process, but he made his way to the other side of the bed, never once looking at the shield. The disappointment was tangible as it wafted off the man in currents.

But, there wasn't much he could do when the blond turned his head to look at him. "Hey…" he croaked, a ghost of a smile gracing his drawn features. It was as if he had already forgotten why he was in this situation. How could he be so nonchalant about all this?

"Hey," the prince replied, having a hard time meeting that dulled gaze. "Look, Prom...about what happened...I, you kno-"

"Accidents happen," the gunner sighed with a forced and low chuckle. "I know you didn't do it on purpose." He half shrugged with a small groan and a wince.

Gladio was quick to grunt his disapproval with the action. "Try not to move too much, you're not completely healed yet," he reminded. It was weird, his voice was unnaturally soft, it didn't sound right coming from him. After a moment, the shield looked between the two of them, and he was easily able to pick up on the mood. "I'll give the two of you a moment," he offered. As he stood to step out, he nodded for the other staff to come along as well. It would be fine, he was recovering now, the worst was over. They could stand to step out for a few minutes.

For a few seconds once the lot of them left, both of the younger men remained eerily silent. Why the hell was this so awkward now?

Well, it was best to get it over with, the sooner, the better. "Prom…" Noctis started again, raising a hand when he saw the other's mouth open to assure it was alright again. It wasn't. "I shouldn't have done that, and it wasn't ok, and you can't just say 'accidents happen'. An accident is tripping or spilling something. Almost killing your best friend over some stupid pride is not an 'accident'." He leaned back with a deep breath after spilling all that out in one go without pause. "I know this won't change or fix anything...but I'm sorry. And, it there's anything I can do to make it up to you...just name it. I don't care what it is, just tell me how I can make this alright."

A moment went by with no response. "Come on, just tell me something already, will ya?" the raven pleaded, starting to get impatient as well as desperate. "You have to be mad at me, yell at me, tell me what a horrible person I am. I'm right here, and I'll take every word of it!"

"I'm not mad," Prompto muttered, both hands gripped at the sheet draped over him. "I'm really not…" He slowly turned to look into the other's eyes, and Noctis saw nothing but genuine honesty. "I was egging you on, and I shouldn't have done that. I knew I was pushing your buttons, but I kept going on and on with it anyway."

This time, it was Noctis' turn to chuckle humorlessly. "Will you knock it off already?"

Prompto's features perked. "But...I'm being serious." He just watched as Noctis continued to shake his head. "Noct…" he muttered, finally starting to get annoyed.

"I'm sorry," the raven tried to hold back his amusement. Honestly, this guy was just too forgiving for his own good sometimes. Letting out a heavy breath, the prince sat up straighter and looked the other straight into his gaze. Before either of them understood what he was doing, one of his hands reached out to grab one of the blond's. "I really am though. And, you can say what you will, you can think of any excuse you want as to why this is your fault, it's not going to change my mind, alright?"

Slowly, the other finally started to nod, finally accepting the apology. He didn't appear to be the most pleased by it, but that didn't matter. The point was, he was taking it, as he should.

Then, what was more surprising to the gunner, the other hand reached to cup the side of his face, forcing him to keep at there and hold that contact. "I was seriously worried about you, Prom," he muttered, all joking aside. The cracking in his tone caused Prompto to relax his shoulders, his stare softened. "Look, I care about you, more than you know...I-I don't want to have to see anything like that again, not to you."

Prompto was at a loss for words, but he never tried to look away. He didn't know how to react to that. He could tell Noctis was being completely sincere, but...it was strange.

"Prompto," he leaned a bit closer, enough so to make the blond shift a tad in slight discomfort. What the hell was he doing? His eyes shifted nervously, checking and making sure no one else was around, he wasn't sure he could handle it if others were here to bear witness to such a scene. "I'm so so sorry," he muttered, drawing just a little bit closer. Then, before the other had the chance to reply, he was pulled the rest of the way. There was no fighting it, on either end.

His eyes closed, and they remained that way until Noctis finally pulled back away, slowly.

"W-What was that?" the blond stuttered.

For a moment, the raven said nothing, seemingly in a trance, like he couldn't believe he just did that. 'Shit'

"I-I dunno," he replied, equally shaken. "It just happened, I didn't mean to, it...it-"

"It's alright," the gunner interrupted with a light chuckle. "Really, it's alright, I didn't mind." He leaned back a bit, eyes still flickering every now and then. "That was, uh, it was kind of nice." He was unable to hide the small grin that slipped onto his features.


End file.
